Recent times have brought about what many geeks are calling the Second Golden Age of Board Games. Forget your Monopoly, your Clue, and chess; cards and board games have become more diverse than ever, and we’ve compiled a list of essentials for your game collection.

The list considers a number of things, like coolness, complexity of setup and gameplay, and availability in the Philippines. While the rarest games are the centerpieces of any collection, we decided on some fun must-haves needed to start a legit collection.

1) The Settlers of Catan

Complexity: Moderate

Players: 3-4

Play time: 45-90 minutes

This classic German game was said to have paved the way for the First Golden Age of Board Games, selling over 22 million copies since it was first published in 1995. Easy to learn but difficult to master, this highly competitive game involves resource management, strategy, and even negotiation.

2) Exploding Kittens

Complexity: Easy

Players: 2-5

Play time: 15-30 minutes

Exploding Kittens is the record-breaking card game based on the popular webcomic, The Oatmeal. The game was originally put up on Kickstarter, requesting backing of USD10,000. It then smashed Kickstarter records when it got backed in eight minutes, and is currently the fourth most crowdfunded game on the popular website.

3) The Resistance/Avalon

Complexity: Easy to moderate

Players: 5-10

Play time: 30-60 minutes

This game comes in two flavors, science fiction and high fantasy. And with the sheer number of players that can join in, it's perfect for big dinner parties and friendly game nights with your crew. Each player must employ a careful balance of deduction and deception. Will the forces of evil win over good, or will good triumph once and for all?

This widely popular game is well-known even to the most casual of players, and is great to have for starting a playgroup. Many current geeks found their start in Cards Against Humanity, and its almost endless gameplay and limitless number of players is a perfect icebreaker for many parties. Not to mention the laughs you get from finding out how screwed up your friends are. Crass and cool!

5) Betrayal at House on the Hill

Complexity: Moderate to difficult

Players: 3-6

Play time: 1-2 hours

This horror game is a masterclass in game design, and has a whopping fifty different endings. Each ending is triggered by a different set of circumstances, achieved randomly. You could play weekly for a year and never play the same game twice. This game is perfect for horror nights, lit by candlelight with spooky music in the background.

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6) Eldritch Horror

Complexity: Difficult

Players: 1-8

Play time: 2-4 hours

This is the only cooperative game (and the only game that can be played alone) on this list, but is by far the most stressful. Complex and astoundingly difficult, you’ll find yourself playing it again and again just to see if you can beat the challenging setup. With its almost endless replayability, and fantastic story design, you’ll have no worry about your money’s worth.